Freedom Fry On 'Classic,' Britney Spears, "Grey's Anatomy" & More

The Los Angeles-based indie-pop duo let us in on their debut full-length studio album and the thought process behind their signature sound

Nate Hertweck

GRAMMYs

Jul 16, 2018 - 11:26 am

How do you make an instant classic? Well, there's always the literal approach, as was the case with Los Angeles indie-pop duo Freedom Fry. Their debut album, Classic, strives to live up to its title not only in capturing the quality of timelessness, but also in tapping into sentiments and style that exude something fresh yet familiar, something lasting.

Jul 16, 2018 – 11:24 am

Freedom Fry On The Making Of A 'Classic'

With an impressive roster of EPs and singles to their name dating back to 2012, the fun is just beginning for Marie Seyrat and Bruce Driscoll — the team behind Freedom Fry. We caught up with the pair of musicians at our headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., to discuss the classic sound of Classic, their brush with pop culture powerhouses Britney Spears and "Grey's Anatomy," how they would executive produce the perfect film, and more.

Congratulations on Classic, just out, still hot off the presses. Considering how many EPs and singles you've released, how does it feel to have a full-length project out in the world?

Seyrat: It's been a long process to make, much longer than an EP first of all, so we actually really put everything we had in this so it feels so good to put it out. It was stressful but really, really good.

Driscoll: Yeah, it feels like we've given birth to a 12-headed musical baby called "Classic" [laughs].

I've read that you named the album Classic because you like to take influences from the past, like '70s music, and filter it through the lens of the future. So how does approaching music in this way enrich the process of creating for you?

Driscoll: For us, it's to listen back on it ourselves in 10 years and maybe not be like, "Oh, why did we use that keyboard?" Or "Why did we do this?" We wanted a record that would hold up even just for us because we're our first audience and [we're] writing songs that we would listen to first and foremost. [That] gave us a nice guideline. Let's stick to traditional instrumentation and string arrangements and things like that, and I mean, who knows what it will sound like in 10 years to us but ... that is what we were going for.

Is there a particular track off the album that you're really attached to at the moment? If so, break it down for us. How did it come about?

Seyrat: There are many, but I would say "Classic" [the album's lead-off title track] because when we play it [live], we actually always put a cherry on the top and bring Mariachi so it makes it extra special to play this song. … Also we've had a lot of people collaborate [with us on] this specific song, so it makes it very special to us, having other people bring their own signature. We trusted them. We didn't tell them what to do, they just freely created and added to our creation. So it has something special.

Driscoll: It's like that children's book, I always think of Stone Soup, when the guy has a stone and he's asking people to bring ingredients to the stone soup, and then it ends up being this really wonderful soup but he had nothing to do with it. It was just a stone. I feel like we wrote this little song and then had people keep building it up and now when we listen to it, it's almost like we're listening to another band because there's so many other people involved.

Also, you worked with actress Emma Kenney on a super cool album trailer. How did that collaboration come about?

Seyrat: We were thinking of a way to present the album. We're an indie band. It's actually difficult to make a difference and ... we wanted people of course to hear all of the songs we've put out there 'cause we don't like to write one song, one single way. We actually really put a lot of time and effort in each of them. So we wanted to present it to the public as well as we could and we were thinking about someone who could represent it and ... I think a manager got in touch with a few people we had enlisted and she was on the top of the list actually. … She has that, even though she's American, she does have also that European style. She could be British.

Driscoll: Yeah, she's kind of a bit rebellious too. Even her character she plays both on "Shameless" and "Roseanne." There's a rebel thing about her that we liked, [that] fit with us, our vibe. She's actually so cool. The nicest person ever.

Going back a little bit, in 2015 you covered Britney Spears' classic, "Oops, I Did It Again," and of course that made its way onto "Grey's Anatomy." What was it like to have your music placed in that kind of arena and what made you chose that song in particular?

Driscoll: So sometimes we'll just get these emails in our inbox like looking for '90s covers or looking for this and we try to never say no to any of it even if we're crunched for time. … Let's just do it 'cause you never know and that was one of those times where we ended up just kicking out four different covers around that time. One of them was that cover. Another one was 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins and there are a few others.

That one ended up getting picked for the show and we're like, "Really, that one? That's amazing." We were super happy about it and I think we both [at] different times in our lives have watched that show. Watching it on TV was a really trippy experience. But then the other cover that we ended up doing ended up doing really well on Spotify. So it's funny. That's part of our mantra. It's just never saying no to those kinds of opportunities and that worked out really well in that situation.

You seem to have a sensibility for films, so if you could put together your dream film what would it look like? What would the storyline be? Who would you choose as actors? Tell us the whole story.

Driscoll: Quentin Tarantino directing, because I just want to see a Quentin Tarantino movie that John Williams with score. That would be really weird. But we like really the '70s kind of aesthetic, grainy film and all kinds of retro throwback things. I guess you could get that in our album, too, that we're fond of that stuff. Who's starring in it?

Seyrat: Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Driscoll: Oh cool, wow, it's gonna be dark.

Seyrat: Who else?

Driscoll: Bradley Cooper? I don't know, we should stick him in there. I feel like he's getting good movies. … Something like that, it'd be a weird movie.

A Perfect Circle On Influences, Collaboration & Building 'Eat The Elephant'

The influential rock group stopped by the GRAMMY Museum to discuss the impetus for their new music, their early influences and the creative process behind their big 2018 return

Nate Hertweck

GRAMMYs

Dec 25, 2018 - 7:30 am

A Perfect Circleis the kind of band fans wait with bated breath to hear new music from, no matter how long they are away. In the case of Eat The Elephant, the band's fourth album, the wait was a full 14 years. Still, the new material was met with much anticipation, a testament to the art.

Dec 25, 2018 – 7:27 am

A Perfect Circle Talk 'Eat The Elephant'

Back in October, we premiered a video for the title track from the album-length film the band made for Eat The Elephant. In the song, lead singer and songwriter Maynard James Keenan'’s stark, haunting vocals creek and soar over lead composer and guitarist Billy Howerdel's dynamic backdrop. During a recent visit to the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, as Keenan and Howerdel shared how they came to revisit the project after all these years away.

"I think it was just time," said Keenan. "I was really busy with Puscifer for quite a while. Then I was gonna get back into doing some Tool music, and they weren't ready, so I was like [to Howerdel], "Hey, what's up?"

The time passed since their previous album, 2004's Emotive, manifests itself on Eat The Elephant in the space within and around its songs, creating a new sonic environment from the band's previous work. This had everything to do with how the songs' foundations were built.

"A lot of times on this record we had the song kind of almost complete, and then he put the vocals on top. It was pretty amazing," explained Howerdel. "Maynard had a lot more input into the music this time, just to, you know, try to some things, because he knew where he was gonna go vocally. He wasn't in the room when I was working on the music, so we'd kind of lightly steer in that direction. And I think it worked out because he just had something in mind and then was able to throw the solid final performance on top of it."

When it comes to architecting a vocal, Keenan does it like no one else. The genesis of his genius instincts begin with responding to the music, as he revealed during the conversation. "First and foremost, it's a reaction to the melodies and structures and time signatures that the group of musicians are presenting me, whether it's Mat Mitchell, or Billy, or Tool," he said. "It's all a reaction melodically to those rhythms, constructing it in a way that feels like an actual conversation. And I of course react better when they're not in 4/4. I don't speak in 4/4."

"Then [I] figure out where that emotion is going, and then just look at your life experiences, what you're experiencing at the moment, and attach a set of words or a circumstance to that set of rhythms and melodies to see if it opens up a whole story, because you know, human interaction, human experience from birth to death, there's an infinite number of flavors and colors and bandwidths and emotions that come with those experiences."

"To me, there's a sadness that's captivating in that writing that's essential," Keenan says of Welch, Harvey and his tastes as they've evolved over the course of his life.

A Perfect Circle has evolved, too. At its core, it's a dynamic collaboration, which means Keenan and Howerdel cannot say what will come next.

"It's a marriage of sorts," says Howerdel. "You have to make this more than just the sum of its parts, more than the sum of the two of us. That comes from the unknown of collaboration… Having collaboration is the magic of never knowing what's coming next."

Elle King On Self-Love & Individuality: "You Don't Get What You Don't Ask For"

Backstage at ACL, the GRAMMY-nominated pop rocker dishes on her latest single, her upcoming album, what she does to unwind, and why she loves Austin

Nate Hertweck

GRAMMYs

Oct 7, 2018 - 2:39 pm

Roaming backstage at the Austin City Limits Festival, wearing a big cowboy hat and an even bigger smile, Elle King's energy is contagious. It's the same blend of confidence, character and creativity that launched her into the budding star she's become since releasing her 2014 breakout hit "Ex's & Oh's," which earned her two of her three GRAMMY nominations. With a new album, Shake The Spirit, on the way and several sizzling new singles teasing what's next, King is primed for a full-blown gritty pop rock takeover.

Oct 7, 2018 – 2:37 pm

Elle King Talks New Music, Brandi Carlile At ACL

The singer/songwriter sat down with us backstage at ACL to talk about her latest single, recording her new album in Texas, what she loves to do outside of music, and much more.

Your latest single, "Little bit of Lovin'" came out just yesterday. Tell us a little bit about how that song came together.

It's my favorite song with the [new] record. It has like some of the most meaning to me and I wrote it on the first night of recording, actually. I stayed up late, and the guy who runs the studio in Texas, he let me stay up late, and I was really going through a lot. Somehow this song just like came through me, and it was the first song that I really thought about, like, what message I'm putting out into the world? I was really struggling with a lot of things personally. I had no idea or concept of what like self-love was, and for some reason there was just this message that had to come through me.

And I'm really glad that it did. And I had no idea that I could write a song like that… I'd never been like, "Let's write a universal song about self-love and blah, blah, blah." And I just probably would have laughed at an idea, a song like that. But it came through me and it was a beautiful moment and that song made me snap back into my body, you know? It's kind of because of that song, which is how we got the title of the whole record. It's just a special, special thing and I hope that one person can hear that and be like maybe I should think about the way I feel about myself, and I should love myself. So it's an important song, I think.

Speaking of the new album, where were you able to take this project musically that was a new place for you, considering all the success of "Ex's & Oh's" and Love Stuff?

The special thing about "Ex's and Oh's" and Love Stuff was that, it really, it gave me a really magical platform. It gave me some say so on my own ideas, and I had no idea that I would be able to produce something, or make a record and have it be [my vision]. I didn't know that I had any kind of sonic vision at all. And so, I just asked my label, "Just let me make this with my band." And they did. You know, you don't get what you don't ask for right?

And so to go through all of this and have people around me, you know, men surrounding a woman and listening to her ideas and having really great support and not just musically, but emotionally and everything, I made this tangible thing that was such a cathartic process that is so me in every sense of the word. And there was so much freedom in it and it was just a really incredible experience.

You've been such an impactful artist in today's industry and society on issues like gender equality, authenticity and self-love. "Naturally Pretty Girls" is a bold, empowering example of that. How does it feel to have had that impact on music and on culture, all stemming from trying to write a song that mattered to you personally?

I never, ever, set out to be like, "I'm gonna make a difference," and "I'm gonna do something," but I knew that I would be a different type of person. Because there really is only one me. There's only one of every type of person. You know? And that's what's beautiful and we should celebrate individuality in every sense of the word. So I never set out to do anything like that, all I did was wanna play songs and you know, it took a long time for people to listen to me. So I fought louder and I sang louder and played harder, and then this theme came up with like people being like, "I agree with you." And like, I was singing about things, even on the first record and to now, like I sing about things that not a lot of people want to sing about.

When I see people come let loose at my shows, it's a beautiful, beautiful thing. And it's great, and you know people should be able to do that. People should celebrate themselves and their individuality. I don't want to sound like anybody else.

Before the interview, you mentioned you went hiking earlier. What else do you like to do outside of music?

Over the last like year and a half I've really had to find something other than music. Because, you know, music is a hobby, it's my "jobby." [laughs] It's like everything, you know?... But there can come a time in it where like, "Oh well this isn't gonna be a hit," and I don't want to finish writing a song. And there's like all this pressure that I was putting on myself and so I would go out to the desert, and it was very like healing for me. And then I got really into stones and I really like rock hounding. I'm not like a physically fit person, but I like to be out in nature, so I'm really into hiking and looking for rocks. I got a rock in my pocket right now. I found a really cool agate at Pedernales Falls, and I found some really beautiful agate, feel that, it's really soft. It's a healing stone. It's a grounding stone.

“You have to shake yourself. You have to shake yourself out of it.” This record was a crazy, beautiful, enlightening, scary process and I can’t wait for you all to hear it and feel it within you. Excited to announce that Shake the Spirit is out 10.19.18! https://t.co/UdrpHWlr8h

You've traveled and lived all over. What is different about Austin as a music town? And maybe specifically ACL, what sticks out to you?

Well, this is my first time playing ACL, so I don't really know anything about it yet, all I know is that like, like I've never played it in the past, because only the cool people played it in the past. So now I'm like, I'm playing ACL. I feel cool! But I love Austin, my music broke here, and so I owe so much to this town. I think that you have to be cool for Austin to like you. And you have to be [yourself], like keep Austin weird and everything. There's a really big celebration of individuality here, when everything is super, super special. And so, for someone to just show up in Austin, like me, and stick out and have people kind of gravitate towards me, that was a very, very cool thing. And so I've always felt very at home here. And I love Austin to death, I really do.

Exclusive: How Hayley Kiyoko's Groundbreaking 'Expectations' Is Just The Beginning

Get to know the rising pop superstar – and video director – behind "Curious" and "What I Need" and find out how one hit blended into the next on her debut album, 'Expectations'

Nate Hertweck

GRAMMYs

Sep 25, 2018 - 12:42 pm

Singer/songwriter Hayley Kiyoko is breaking the pop music mold in a whole new way. She has managed to become a fearless DIY success story, a resourceful and innovative video director, and a proud member and leader of the LGBTQ+ youth community, all without sacrificing an ounce of the irresistible smash hit sweetness. Simply put, her story is her own, unflinchingly real and yet universally relatable.

Sep 25, 2018 – 12:42 pm

Hayley Kiyoko On 'Expectations' & "What I Need"

After several EPs generated a well-earned buzz surrounding her work, Kiyoko's full-length debut LP, Expectations, arrived earlier this year. Drafting on the infectious candor of "Curious," the album has brought her brand of pop mastery to the masses with authenticity, integrity and charm. Her latest single, "What I Need," features GRAMMY nominee Kehlani and its video, which was directed by Kiyoko, traces an epic story of love and independence.

Kiyoko has traced her own epic journey of late, wrapping a sold-out headlining tour followed by a run opening for Panic! At The Disco this summer. We caught up with the 27-year-old rising star in the midst of her whirlwind ascension to talk about the songs – and videos – of Expectations, the thrills of the road, how she likes to unplug, and what's next.

As a very personal album and a concept album, how did your full-length debut Expectations meet your expectations?

I set my expectations very high for Expectations, my debut album. It's something that I'm really proud of, because I really enjoy albums that you can listen to from start to finish, and just push play, and not skip a song. And that was my goal, going into this album. And on top of that, keeping it visual, because I direct my own music videos. So I wanted people to feel that experience as they hear it. And have everything kind of run into one. So I'm really proud of it.

The video for "What I Need," which you directed, had me on the edge of my seat, totally invested. So how did you develop the narrative?

I've always wanted to have kind of this fun, road trip, friendship adventure video that really tests those boundaries of love and friendship. And I also had never really had a video that showcased that struggle of parents, or that adult role model not understanding their daughter or child and vice versa. And so the opening scene of the music video is both of them kind of bumping heads. Just being like, "I don't get you." And like, "Why is this so hard?" And I feel like so many people can relate to that. And so I just kind of built the story off that concept of trying to have, not only kids, but adults be able to relate and connect to the video.

How does directing feed your artistic spirit differently than music?

I love directing, and it's something that I realized is definitely a huge part of me. I think, as an artist who writes their own music and is so creatively involved in all of the decisions, you become a director of your career… for me, it was very natural to become a director. I became a director because I couldn't afford the directors I wanted… Being unsigned, and trying to become noticed, you end up just doing everything yourself. Because it's like, "well, if I don't have the opportunity, I'm going to create it." And that's kind of been my journey as an artist through and through, just doing everything on my own and not taking "no" for an answer.

And I love the challenges that come with music videos, and things going wrong, and having a vision for one thing, and losing a location, and having to adjust it. But what's so cool about directing is that, all of these things can change, but it's about keeping that core emotion and that core story.

"Curious" put the album on the map earlier this year. Do you remember writing that song? Can you tell us where it came from?

"Curious" is a song that covers a lot of my experiences with women, where… I want to make sure that I'm not a part of a game, and these feelings are true and real. And I feel like everyone can relate to that, that feeling of like, "is what you're saying to me true? And are you talking to someone else? And do you feel the same way towards me, towards someone else? And are you serious? I'm just curious, is it serious?" And that's kind of where that whole concept came up. And it's a really fun song to perform, and the music video for that is really based off of my life.

The word "curious" takes on a double meaning, which is part of why it's a great song. What does that word mean to you?

The word "curious" has always had a negative connotation to me, just because, when you're curious, you're unsure. And that kind of blends into my next song, "What I Need" is for you to be sure. Wow, I just put that together [laughs]. I think we all want to be with someone who knows what they want and knows who they are, and I think we're all searching for that. We're searching for purpose. We're searching for acceptance, relatability. And so I try to implement that as much as I can within my music and my storytelling.

Authenticity can be a rare trait in the pop music realm, and it seems like your fans, especially in the LGBTQ+ community, strongly identify with your voice because it is so authentic. What has that community meant to you, in terms of your art, and then also in terms of your career?

Thank you. It's very interesting because I grew up without a community. I grew up not knowing, really, anyone like myself, that liked girls as well, or really liked anyone different. So it's been this crazy thing where I've found my purpose through my fans. I've found my community of people through my fans and through my music. And they've stood up for me, and kind of been like, "Hey, we're here. You haven't known where we've been your whole life, but now, in your mid-20s, here we are, shining bright." I have a lot of people thanking me for validating their feelings. But for me, I get emotional because I'm thanking them for validating my feelings. I put music out, really concerned whether I could be in the mainstream pop and be respected and heard. And they validated that by showing up to these shows.

Indeed. You've sold out some very big cities on this tour. What's it like to be onstage and see and hear your fans singing your words back to you?

It's really amazing to hear all my fans sing every single word, because it reminds you that these words are more than just words, they mean something to them. And they're telling a story to them, and they're helping them through something, whether it's laughter or sadness. It's really awesome to get to share that and have something in common with one another.

Content Not Available

You have a very busy life right now. What's your favorite escape when you get some time to yourself?

I love nature. This is my first year really living on the road. I'm normally in my house, hoping someone's going to listen to my song. But I love walks, I love trees, I love water. It just kind of takes me out of my element. And when you listen to my album, you'll hear water throughout the album, because I find nature very centering. And it kind of resets your emotions. That's what it does for me, and so I wanted to do that in my album.

What are you working on next?

I'm really excited for the rest of this year, because I'm getting to tour Europe for the first time. For me, as an artist who had been unsigned for so long, [and recently] became signed, [I] wasn't really brought on tours, had to headline my own shows. And so to be able to finally get across overseas to Europe, and get to reach those fans and get to know that I have fans over there is very exciting. So I'm doing my first European tour in the fall, and then I'm going to be, hopefully, doing as many music videos as possible with this album and continuing to push that and seeing where that takes me.

Have you started thinking about a follow up to Expectations yet?

It's interesting, because most of the time, people are like, "I don't know what's next for me, or what I'm going to say." And this debut album for me is really just the beginning. Because for me, it was catching up with my life, and accepting who I am, and understanding that. So I'm really excited for my sophomore album, and future albums. Because I have so much more to say, and I feel like this is just the beginning.

The GRAMMY-nominated reggae band's frontman explains how they reach new heights by staying grounded on their sixth album

Nate Hertweck

GRAMMYs

Sep 5, 2018 - 3:03 pm

For nearly 15 years, California's own Rebelution have been bringing their brand of perfectly popified reggae to audiences everywhere, building a devoted fan-base through their uplifting music and message.

Sep 5, 2018 – 3:06 pm

Rebelution's Eric Rachmany On 'Free Rein' & More

The band's 2016 album Falling Into Place became their fourth album to top the Billboard reggae chart and earned Rebelution a GRAMMY nomination for Best Reggae Album. With the arrival of their sixth studio album, Free Rein, earlier this year, singer/guitarist/lyricist Eric Rachmany and crew prove they're primed to explore even more creative territory while always paying homage to their infectious Jamaican musical inspiration.

Recently, we caught up with Rachmany, just as he and the rest of Rebelution set out to tour in support of the new album, to discuss what Free Rein means to him, a few of its standout tracks and how island life has become much more than dream.

Tell me about the journey between Falling Into Place and Free Rein musically. How did you arrive at this direction with the new record?

Yeah, Free Rein we were really more hands on with the entire process. So, in Rebelution we always are a very hands-on band. We write the music ourselves, at least 99.9 percent of it, and we take a lot of pride in that… We chose who we wanted to work with. We really took an active producer role, with the exception of a couple songs. And we continued working with two Jamaican producers that we really like on those few tracks. So, I think Rebelution's always been that kind of band that wants to bridge the gap between Jamaica and the Reggae scene here in America. So if we can work with a lot of these producers and artists that we look up to that we kinda grew up listening to, the more we can show, like, our fan base where we come from, what our influences are.

The album's lead-off track, "Celebrate," feels like a mission statement to do that – to celebrate each other and the spirit of community. Can you tell me about how that song came together?

Sure, I mean, we get a lot of comments everyday that say, you know, "Rebelution thank you for getting me through this tough time." For that particular song, I was thinking about somebody that was going through sort of a medical issue and I know that our music has such an impact on people thinking positively, and I know that's the most important thing when they're going through some physical troubles. So I was thinking about a particular person that has used our music to get through chemotherapy and get through a tough time, and so that song was actually really easy to write because I was trying to just think about her and just know that our music can get to her and encourage her to keep on fighting. I'm honored if I could just reach just one person with the music that we make in that manner I feel like my job is complete.

Can you talk a little bit about what the album title means to you?

Yeah. To me, Free Rein is really about being your true self, and when you can be your true self, you have the free rein to do what you please. You have to be comfortable in your own skin. With Rebelution, the message that we try to put out is embrace people's differences.

I grew up in San Francisco where it's a big melting pot of people and I was fortunate that my parents exposed me to a lot of world music and a lot of world dance growing up and I always thought the differences were beautiful. People can find such beauty in these arts and practices so I wanna encourage people to embrace those differences in life, and I think if someone's listening and feeling a little weird about being different, if they can see the message to have that comfortability in their own skin, to embrace their differences, I think people really have that free rein to take on the world.

What are you looking forward to most with this upcoming tour?

It's always fun playing new material. Even though the fans, they may not know the words quite yet. We have a lot of die-hard fans that come back over and over again. We tour every summer and pretty much every winter and do a lot of festivals in between and so I think we have a lot of reoccurring listeners, so they want to hear that new stuff and they want to see like what's the new stuff coming out. We get people who say, "This is my 20th show." And we're playing Red Rocks two nights this year, which is pretty much our favorite venue to play. I never thought that we'd ever perform there, so to be able to do two nights is pretty special.

My favorite thing to do when I'm off tour is go to experience that island life. Hawaii and Guam were two of the first places that got down with our music so it's not a bad place to be to perform. It never really feels like a job anyway but when you go out to Hawaii and Guam you just start feeling guilty that you get to do that for a living. So, I really enjoy seeing some friends and now that I consider them family out in the islands and just experiencing that beauty. That's where I'll be on my spare time.

Sounds like a beautiful place to be.

Yeah, one of the songs on the latest album, Free Rein, is called "City Life," and it's all about getting out of the city and I've been fortunate to go to beautiful, pristine places. There's a lot of places in California obviously, but to get to those beaches that a lot of people don't know about and having friends take you there. That's really what I think about when I sing that song. I'm like "oh, as soon as this tour is over I'm gonna go lay low on a beach somewhere in Hawaii," so I'm definitely fortunate… Every time we play that song live, that's what I think about.

Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.